Arrow Symbols: Theory for Interpretation

People often sketch diagrams when they communicate successfully among each other. Such an intuitive collaboration would also be possible with computers if the machines understood the meanings of the sketches. Arrow symbols are a frequent ingredient of such sketched diagrams. Due to the arrows’ versatility, however, it remains a challenging problem to make computers distinguish the various semantic roles of arrow symbols. The solution to this problem is highly desirable for more effective and user-friendly pen-based systems. This thesis, therefore, develops an algorithm for deducing the semantic roles of arrow symbols, called the arrow semantic interpreter (ASI). The ASI emphasizes the structural patterns of arrow-containing diagrams, which have a strong influence on their semantics. Since the semantic roles of arrow symbols are assigned to individual arrow symbols and sometimes to the groups of arrow symbols, two types of the corresponding structures are introduced: the individual structure models the spatial arrangement of components around each arrow symbol and the inter-arrow structure captures the spatial arrangement of multiple arrow symbols. The semantic roles assigned to individual arrow symbols are classified into orientation, behavioral description, annotation, and association, and the formats of individual structures that correspond to these four classes are identified. The result enables the derivation of the possible semantic roles of individual arrow symbols from their individual structures. In addition, for the diagrams with multiple arrow symbols, the patterns of their inter-arrow structures are exploited to detect the groups of arrow symbols that jointly have certain semantic roles, as well as the nesting relations between the arrow symbols. The assessment shows that for 79% of sample arrow symbols the ASI successfully detects their correct semantic roles, even though the average number of the ASI’s interpretations is only 1.31 per arrow symbol. This result indicates that the structural information is highly useful for deriving the reliable interpretations of arrow symbols

An Analysis of Effects of Boredom on Revisit Intention – A Case in Japanese Popular Tourism Destinations

This study focuses on the effects of visitors’ boredom of a destination on their intention to revisit it, using two Japanese popular tourism destinations as the cases. Relationships between three factors, which are satisfaction, boredom and revisit intention, were examined. In addition to the subjective index of visitors’ boredom based on ratings on a scale, the rate of remaining facilities (RoRF), which was the objective index of visitors’ boredom, is also employed. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data related to the five factors. We conclude that subjective index of visitors’ boredom may not be effective for understanding of their revisit intention, while their revisit intention can arguably be relevant to the RoRF

Surgical resection of hepatic and rectal metastases of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC): a case report

BackgroundPancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC), a rare variant of pancreatic malignancy, is generally managed the same way as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Surgical resection is the gateway to curing it; however, once it metastasizes (usually to the liver, lungs, lymph nodes, or peritoneal cavity), systemic chemotherapy has been the only option, but with unfavorable results.Case presentationA 67-year-old man with symptoms of loss of appetite and weight underwent surgery for malignancy of the pancreatic tail extending into the entire pancreas. The pathological diagnosis was PACC following total pancreatectomy. Twenty-four months after the pancreatectomy, a solitary liver metastasis was treated by partial hepatectomy, and, subsequently, 4 months later, he presented with melena. Further examination revealed a type-2 rectal tumor. Histological examination following biopsy revealed it to be rectal metastasis of PACC, and it was treated by abdominoperineal resection. Subsequently, the patient did not have tumor recurrence as of 40 months after pancreatectomy.ConclusionsThis is a rare case of PACC presenting with metachronal metastases in the liver and rectum, and we successfully treated them by surgical resections. Since the malignant behavior of PACC is usually less than that of PDAC, surgical resection could be an option even for metastatic lesions when the number and extent of metastases are limited

Nondestructive Classification Analysis of Green Coffee Beans by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a powerful tool for the nondestructive evaluation of organic materials, and it has found widespread use in a variety of industries. In the food industry, it is important to know the district in which a particular food was produced. Therefore, in this study, we focused on determining the production area (five areas and three districts) of green coffee beans using classification analysis and NIRS. Soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) was applied as the classification method. Samples of green coffee beans produced in seven locations—Cuba, Ethiopia, Indonesia (Bari, Java, and Sumatra), Tanzania, and Yemen—were analyzed. These regions were selected since green coffee beans from these locations are commonly sold in Japan supermarkets. A good classification result was obtained with SIMCA for the seven green bean samples, although some samples were partly classified into several categories. Then, the model distance values of SIMCA were calculated and compared. A few model distance values were ~10; such small values may be the reason for misclassification. However, over a 73% correct classification rate could be achieved for the different kinds of green coffee beans using NIRS

Nondestructive Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Oils on Wood Surfaces

The further use of wood resources is expected in an environmentally conscious society. Added-value, such as durability enhancement and preservation by painting, are needed to expand the applicability of wood. Assessment of wood properties such as surface and coat adhesion can be made by studying perviousness to liquid oils, with the aim of developing wood products that deter insects and are weather-resistant; hence, discriminant analysis of oil type is important. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for nondestructive characterization of organic materials and has been widely used in many industries. Here, NIR detection of oil on wood surfaces is applied for the distinguishing of three different types of oil (hereafter, “Oil_1”, “Oil_2” and “Oil_3”) via soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). Oil_1 was antiseptic vehicle or cutting oil. Oil_2 was used as a motor oil for an oil pressure machine. Oil_3 was plant-derived oil. Two types of wood that are commonly used in Japanese construction (Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtuse) were analyzed after applying oil. The NIR spectra measured after the oil was applied were greater in the ranges 1700–1800 nm and 2300–2500 nm than spectra for the bare wood sample. As SIMCA analyses were performed by using spectral data that included the moving average, baseline correction and second derivatives, good results were obtained for Oil_3 for both wood samples. However, the correct classification percentages were low for Oil_1, and the percentage of samples classified within several categories was high. If the components are very different, such as those for Oil_3, NIRS can be a powerful non-destructive method for identifying oil in the context of wood products testing

The 9 +-Intersection for Topological Relations between a Directed Line Segment and a Region

Abstract. This paper develops a formal model of topological relations between a directed line segment (DLine) and a region in a two-dimensional space. Such model forms a foundation for characterizing movement patterns of an agent with respect to a region. The DLine-region relations are captured by the 9intersection for line-region relations with further distinction of the line’s boundary into two subparts (starting and ending points). This 9 +-intersection distinguishes 26 topological DLine-region relations. The relations ’ conceptual neighborhood graph takes the shape of a V-shaped tube, whose upper and lower halves are isomorphic to the conceptual neighborhood graph of 19 topological line-region relations. The conceptual neighborhood graph of the 26 DLineregion relations is applied to the iconic representation of movement patterns that satisfy a qualitative condition. By manipulating such iconic representations, the movement patterns that satisfy complex conditions are easily deduced. 1